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July 6, 2014

Copper Magic Blog Tour: Review, Guest Post + Giveaway

Welcome to my stop on the official blog tour for Copper Magic by Julia Mary Gibson! I have my review of the book to share with you along with a guest post by the author - and don't forget to enter the giveaway! To follow the rest of the tour, click on the banner above.

Copper Magic

Author: Julia Mary Gibson

Genre: YA Historical Fiction/Fantasy

Release Date: July 1, 2014

Publisher: Starscape (Tor)

Description:

Can an unearthed
talisman found on the shores of Lake Michigan save 12-year-old Violet’s
fractured family? Exploring themes of Native American culture, ecology,
and conservation, this historical fiction novel comes brilliantly to
life.

The year is 1906, and twelve-year-old Violet Blake unearths
an ancient talisman—a copper hand—beside the stream where her mother
used to harvest medicine. Violet’s touch warms the copper hand and it
begins to reveal glimpses of another time. Violet is certain that the
copper hand is magic—and if anyone is in need of its powers, it’s
Violet. Her mother and adored baby brother are gone, perhaps never to
return. Her heartbroken father can’t seem to sustain the failing farm on
the outskirts of Pigeon Harbor, on the shores of Lake Michigan.

Surely
the magic of the copper hand can make things right for Violet and
restore her fractured family. Violet makes a wish. But her ignorant
carelessness unleashes formidable powers—and her attempts to control
them jeopardizes not only herself, but the entire town of Pigeon Harbor.

In
Copper Magic, land and waters are alive with memories, intentions, and
impulses. Magic alters Violet and brings her gifts—but not always the
kind she thinks she needs. First-time author Julia Mary Gibson brings
Violet and her community to life in this impressive and assured debut.

6 Favorite Books Read This Year:

1. Chains (Laurie Halse Anderson)

2. The Birchbark House series (Louise Erdrich)

3. Dear Genius (Ursula Nordstrom)

4. A Rumor of War (Philip Caputo)

5. Little Green (Walter Mosley)

6. Weedflower (Cynthia Kadohata)

Copper Magic is a beautiful tale full of history, love, regret, and magic. The story follows our young heroine - Violet - as she lives her simple life in the year 1906. Her mother and baby brother disappeared months ago, and Violet doesn't think they're coming back. Now it's just Violet and her father, trying their hardest to make a decent life in the small town of Pigeon Harbor. When Violet comes across a mysterious copper hand buried in the woods, she starts to believe that it's magic. After witnessing some of it's magic for herself, Violet makes a wish on the hand - hoping that she can make things right again for herself and her family. What she doesn't know is how powerful a wish can be - and the consequences that follow.

The description of the book is initially what drew me to it - I love anything to do with magic or witches. After starting the book, it became obvious that this story was so much more than just a young adult fantasy. It was incredibly detailed in its descriptions of the time period, the characters, and all the things we encounter throughout its pages. Not only was I transported back in time alongside Violet, but the story had much more depth than I imagined. It touches on serious topics like family, loss, grief, regret, love, and acceptance. All of these components - from the detailed descriptions to the intricate story line and the layered plot - came together to create a wholly original and beautifully told story. It was incredibly hard to believe that this was the author's debut novel - the writing was extremely well crafted and had the feel of a much more seasoned author. Everything about the book was well done - the setting was described with vivid imagery, the plot was fantasy mixed with universal topics, and the characters were realistic and easy to identify with right off the bat. I highly recommend this book to fans of YA historical fiction and fantasy, along with anyone looking for a book layered with magic, history, and thought-provoking concepts.

For a significant chunk of my life I worked with sprocketed celluloid, as a garage animator and in various capacities in the visual effects industry. My colleagues were geniuses and magicians and sorceresses. The work was a blast (sometimes literally – catch me as Frances McDormand’s double in an awesome old-school beamsplitter shot in Sam Raimi’s DARKMAN), but a time came when my own work cried out to be fostered again.

I live in Hollywood, California, surrounded by my four-generation extended family of poets, thespians, dancers, filmworkers, and urban farmers.